In a sharp rebuttal to Senator Orji Uzor Kalu’s bold prediction that Abia State will turn to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027, the Abia State government has welcomed the challenge but promised to deliver a resounding defeat to the senator and his party.
This is contained in a statement issued on Monday, January 5, 2026, by Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser to Governor Alex Otti on Media and Publicity.
Ekeoma, while acknowledging Kalu’s constitutional right to support his party, emphasized that Governor Otti had never sought Kalu’s backing for his re-election. “Governor Alex Otti has never gone to Senator Kalu to appeal to him to support his re-election bid, neither has he ever made any attempt to convince him to work against his party the APC or their would-be Governorship Candidate in 2027,” Ekeoma stated. He described Kalu’s repeated emphasis on withholding support as “pedestrian and ludicrous,” suggesting it might be an attempt at subtle threats, which he warned would only strengthen Otti’s resolve.
“If Senator Kalu’s repeated statements are geared towards issuing subtle threats to Governor Otti, then he is committing a calamitous blunder of costly consequences, because threats toughen rather than frighten or weaken Governor Otti.”
The Abia Govt challenged Kalu’s commitment to the APC by questioning his past electoral performance. “Again, those who genuinely want to support their party and candidates do not make unnecessary noise about it, rather they show it through hard work and sincere dedication.”
He urged Kalu to “produce his unit and ward results in the last Governorship and Presidential elections,” pointing out that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) records show the APC “lost woefully both in the Governorship and Presidential elections at the polling units and wards of all the APC candidates in the 2023 election in Bende LGA where Senator Kalu hails from.”
The statement rhetorically asked, “The question is, if he truly worked for the President and his party, why did the President lose in his constituency while he won in the election conducted on the same day?”
Highlighting Governor Otti’s strong public support, the release contrasted Kalu’s claims with Otti’s achievements under the Labour Party (LP). It argued that if Otti could secure a landslide victory in 2023 based on “his character, capacity to serve, excellent antecedents and sound campaign manifesto which were just promises,” the people would rally even more strongly now, given “the enduring transformation he has brought in the state in less than three years as Governor.” Ekeoma added, “It would be strange if Senator Kalu has yet to realise that Abia people see Governor Alex Otti as their best political party, and his re-election as a divine project that must be executed with courage, passion and precision.”
The statement also took a jab at Kalu’s family involvement in politics, congratulating him “for drafting his younger brother into the 2027 governorship race.” It reminded that the brother had run in 2023 as the flag bearer of the Action Peoples Party (APP) and “placed last at the end of polls.” Looking ahead, the release noted that the LP has “four capable and formidable Senatorial Aspirants” vying for the Abia North seat, who would receive “massive support from the Governor to win the elections come 2027.”
This exchange underscores the intensifying political rivalry in Abia State ahead of the 2027 elections, with Otti’s administration positioning itself as a transformative force against opposition challenges from figures like Kalu.
